Recombinant DNA technology has provided a means to produce proteins in amounts which allow for their use in a spectrum of applications, including therapeutic, diagnostic, agricultural, and research purposes.
One goal of recombinant protein production is the optimization of cell culture media and conditions in order to obtain the greatest amount of protein and the most efficient means of productivity. Any improvement, including incremental improvements, can have enormous benefits economically. In the pharmaceutical industry, optimization of protein production for biologics used in therapies for the treatment of disease is advantageous, as any improvement can have significant impact when the biologic is manufactured on a large scale. As such, there remains a need to maximize protein production from cell cultures expressing biologic proteins for use in medicine.
Typically mammalian cell culture media is based on commercially available media formulations, including, for example, DMEM or Ham's F12. Often media formulations are not sufficiently enriched to support increases in both cell growth and biologic protein expression. There remains a need for improved cell culture media, supplements, and cell culture methods for improved protein production.